Faith of my Fathers - J. McCain

Culture Making - A. Crouch

The Shack - W. P. Young

Gum, Geckos, and God - J. Spiegel

An Enjoyable, Thoughtful Read

Centered on conversations that Spiegel has with his young children about the Christian faith, Gum, Geckos, and God effectively takes topics that can often be abstract and difficult and presents them concretely and clearly. Questions that his kids ask (and that we've all wondered about) such as "What is God like?" (chap. 1), "Why do some people not believe in God?" (chap. 5), and "Why is it hard to be good?" (chap. 8) are addressed through the family's dialogue and Spiegel's thoughtful, personal reflections.

The result is a book that's delightful to read. It's engaging and insightful throughout with plenty of humor and tenderness mixed in.

The Gospel of Ruth

Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis

Surprised by Joy - C.S. Lewis

Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis

Dreams from My Father - B. Obama

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness - R. H. Thaler and C. R. Sunstein

The Whole Truth - D. Baldacci

Black Cross - G. Iles

Expeditionary Man - R. Wagner

Why We're Not Emergent - K. DeYoung and T. Kluck

Strong and Fair

It's been noted that most emergent tomes are being written by folks in their 30's (or so) while the "rebuttal books" are coming from folks older than that (sometimes significantly so). Here's an exception, and it's not to be easily dismissed. DeYoung and Kluck demonstrate theological maturity and writing prowess beyond their years.

They're fair with the emergents - letting their writings speak for themselves - and their strong and direct (and biblically-grounded) in thei critiques and correctives. They also offer compelling "on-the-street" observations (especially from Kluck's chapters) that gently poke at the weaknesses of the emergents (and their symantic stretches and foibles).

Also, despite the thoroughness of their research, this is a nice and readable book. Well done.